IN RESPONSE TO HUDSON RIVER 5-YEAR REVIEW, CONGRESSMEN PAT RYAN AND MARC MOLINARO CALL FOR MORE AGGRESSIVE PCB CLEANUP BY GE
In Response to Hudson River 5-Year Review, Congressmen Pat Ryan and Marc Molinaro Call for More Aggressive PCB Cleanup by GE
General Electric discharged millions of pounds of toxic PCBs into the Hudson River over 3+ decades
EPA’s most recent report shows that progress from GE’s cleanup continues to fail to meet required benchmarks
Ryan called on EPA to stop “kicking the can down the road” for further remediation
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressmen Ryan and Molinaro called out General Electric (GE) for its insufficient cleanup of its Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) pollution in the Hudson River after a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report showed that progress from the cleanup continues to fail to meet required benchmarks in PCB reduction. For thirty years, General Electric discharged millions of pounds of toxic PCBs into the Hudson River from two GE manufacturing plants. GE’s mandated cleanup of its pollution ended in 2015, but data has consistently shown that the cleanup has failed to meet benchmarks agreed to in 2002. In its newest Five-Year Review on the cleanup’s progress released on Wednesday, rather than determining that actions should be taken to begin additional remediation, the EPA will continue collecting data for at least one to three more years before re-evaluating if action should be taken. In April, Congressmen Ryan and Molinaro called on the EPA to stop kicking the can down the road and respond to the clear data by requiring GE to restart remediation immediately.
“For decades, General Electric discharged toxic PCBs into our precious River, putting their profit ahead of the health and safety of Hudson Valley families, including the more than 100,000 people who rely on the river for drinking water,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “The data is clear: our community simply can’t wait any longer. GE’s first cleanup isn’t passing muster and continues to endanger our families and environment. The time to act is now and I’ll keep pushing to hold GE accountable for the full cleanup of its mess.”
“The bottom line is it’s not enough and the EPA is failing on a fundamental responsibility and the only opportunity we have for complete and total cleanup of America’s most significant waterway,” said Congressman Marc Molinaro. “We are enormously disappointed and cannot accept another half measure and missed opportunity. The Hudson River Valley deserves better and we will keep fighting.”
“This week, the EPA released the long-awaited draft of the third five-year review for the Hudson River PCBs Superfund Site. Riverkeeper is dismayed that the EPA has yet again failed to recognize that the cleanup efforts in the Upper Hudson River have not sufficiently protected human health and the environment,” said Tracy Brown, President of Riverkeeper. “EPA states that they need more years of fish data to determine if the cleanup is meeting the expectations of the original plan, but the data available is clear - the river is not recovering at the anticipated rate. While Riverkeeper commends EPA's proposal for expanded monitoring and special studies to bolster the data, we remain steadfast in demanding that the EPA immediately take decisive and proactive measures to restore the river and reduce PCB concentrations in fish and sediment. The EPA's conclusions disregard clear data trends and contradict environmental justice principles. PCB concentrations continue to persist in the Upper Hudson River at hazardous levels, continuing to endanger both humans and wildlife. We will not relent in our pursuit of a ‘not protective determination’ for the Hudson River.”
“We strongly disagree with EPA’s claim that they still “need more data” to make a determination about the effectiveness of the Hudson River PCB cleanup. The science is actually crystal clear: the ‘remedy’ has failed,” said Scenic Hudson President Ned Sullivan. “With this misguided ruling, EPA is abdicating its legal and ethical responsibilities as well as damaging the integrity of the entire federal Superfund program. Scenic Hudson has been fighting for a clean river for decades and we’re grateful for the ongoing bipartisan support of Congressmen Ryan and Molinaro. We won’t stop until EPA commits to getting the river on a real path to recovery. We urge all New Yorkers to also contact EPA to demand a cleaner Hudson River now.
“Wednesday’s Draft Five-Year Review fails to acknowledge the river is not recovering at the anticipated rate leaving those most vulnerable in our communities to continue to bear the heaviest burden - those who rely on the Hudson River as a primary or secondary source of food,” said David Toman, Executive Director of the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. “The available data demonstrates the dredging remedy is not working, and every delay in action continues to put ecological and human health at risk. EPA must act with urgency to protect communities and the environment.”
Congressman Ryan has repeatedly called on GE to be held accountable for the full cleanup of its PCB pollution. The EPA’s Five-Year Review released on Wednesday was the third Five-Year Review tracking the progress of GE’s cleanup of the Hudson - each report has found that the cleanup has failed to meet target benchmarks in PCB reduction. PCBs bioaccumulate, the toxin increases in concentration as it moves up the food chain. PCBs are considered probable human carcinogens and are harmful to fish and wildlife.
With data consistently showing that PCB levels in the Hudson River have not been adequately controlled by GE’s cleanup, Congressman Ryan sent a letter to EPA Administer Michael Reagan in April, urging the EPA to take action to restart the PCB cleanup in the Hudson River by issuing a “not protective” determination in its Five-Year Report. However, the Five-Year Report issued a “protectiveness deferred” determination, requiring at least one to three more years of data collection before reconsidering whether or not to restart cleanup efforts. Because PCB concentrations in fish remain higher than the target amounts, the EPA should have issued a “not protective” determination. There is sufficient data to conclude that GE’s cleanup is not protective of human health and the environment, posing unacceptable risks to our community.
Ryan has built a record of fighting for clean water for Hudson Valley families, often taking on big corporations who pollute the Hudson River. Ryan introduced the Hudson River Protection Act to permanently ban dangerous barges from anchoring in the Hudson River and discharging toxic pollutants into the River. The bill recently passed in the House of Representatives. Last fall, Ryan organized a coalition of local government officials, community leaders, and organizations to temporarily halt the Coast Guard’s plan to begin allowing barges to anchor on the Hudson River.
Congressman Ryan has also spearheaded efforts to combat PFAS “forever chemical” pollution, including introducing the landmark PFAS Action Act and cosponsoring the Department of Defense PFAS Discharge Prevention Act. The EPA has recently implemented many of the components of the PFAS Action Act, including issuing a national standard for PFAS in drinking water. Ryan has made repeated calls for the Department of Defense (DoD) to hasten its cleanup of PFAS pollution at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh.
Congressman Ryan spoke at the Save the River Rally, demanding that Holtec halt its plan to dump radioactive waste into the River. Ryan has amassed a record of taking on big corporations that pollute Hudson Valley water, air, and soil. He immediately sounded the alarm when the Wall Street Journal reported that major telecommunications companies are allowing a network of decrepit, lead-sheathed cables to shed the toxin into the environment, including above a playground in Wappingers Falls. He has repeatedly demanded that multi-billion dollar telecommunications companies Verizon and AT&T take responsibility and pay for the cleanup of their cables. Ryan recently brought together local officials and community advocates to call on the corporations to publicly disclose the locations of the cables after Hudson Valley families reported finding them discarded across the region.
###